Maldives

Forces Armées Populaires

In 1993 the FAP numbered about 21,000. Madagascar's
president
is commander in chief of the FAP. There is no reserve
force.
Males aged eighteen to fifty are subject to conscription
for
eighteen months of military or civil service. The majority
of
conscripts belonged to the relatively poor côtiers
because
exceptions to the conscription law allow influential or
prosperous persons to avoid military service. The officer
corps
remains a promising career for most Malagasy. The FAP is
divided
into two operational services, the army and the aeronaval
forces.
The former is responsible for land operations and
ground-based
air defense; however, its primary role has been to defend
state
institutions and the president from armed opposition. The
latter
conducts air, naval, and amphibious operations.

The 20,000-member army, which is deployed as a coastal
and
internal security force, consists of two battalion groups,
one
engineer regiment, one signals regiment, one service
regiment,
and seven construction regiments. There is no reserve
force.
Because Madagascar lacks an indigenous arms production
industry,
the army imports all its equipment. The army weapons
system
includes twelve PT-76 light tanks; eight M-8, twenty
M-3A1, ten
FV-701 Ferret, and 35 BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicles; and
thirty
M-3A1 half-track armored personnel carriers. Additionally,
the
army possesses fifty 14.5-mm ZPU-4 and twenty 37-mm Type
55 air
defence guns; and twelve 76-mm ZIS-3, twelve 122-mm, and
an
unknown number of 105-mm artillery pieces. The mortar
inventory
consists of eight 120-mm M-43, twenty-four 82-mm M-43, and
some
81-mm M-29s. There also are an unknown number of 89-mm
rocket
launchers and 106-mm M-40A1 recoilless launchers.

The mission of the aeronaval forces' 500-personnel air
component includes combat, transport, and maritime patrol
duties.
The air force maintains its headquarters at Ivato, near
Antananarivo, and operates from bases at Antalaha,
Antsohiky,
Arivoniamamo, Diego Suarez, Fianarantsoa, Fort Dauphin,
Majunga,
Nosy Be, Tamatave, and Tuléar. The air force consists of
one
fighter squadron with ten MiG-21 Fishbed and four MiG-17
Fresco
aircraft; a transport squadron that includes four An-26
Curl, two
Yak-40 Codling, three BN-2 Defender, two C-47 Dakotas, and
two C212 Aviocar aircraft; and a helicopter squadron with six
Mi-8 Hip
transport helicopters. Additionally, the air force
possesses one
Cessna 310, three Cessna 337, one PA-23 Aztec
utility/communications aircraft, and four Cessna 172
trainer
aircraft.